Liverpool: Rooney performs U-turn on ‘unfair’ Van Dijk dig but doubles down on another point

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has backtracked on his “unfair” comment about Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, but he doubled down on another point.

Rooney and Van Dijk have gone back and forth in recent weeks, with the Liverpool captain taking issue with the pundit’s comments about his recent performances.

The Man Utd icon and most other pundits have hit out at Liverpool and their players as they went on a dire run of losing six games in seven across all competitions.

However, the Reds have bounced back in recent days by beating Aston Villa and Real Madrid in the Premier League and Champions League.

Before their upturn in form, Rooney criticised Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who had become a “big concern” for Liverpool.

“Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season,” Rooney said.

READ: Van Dijk v Rooney: Full transcript after ‘over the top’ criticism

“I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players in that team and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else.

“I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me.”

In response, Van Dijk brushed off these comments as “lazy criticism”.

“I didn’t hear him last year,” Van Dijk responded.

“It doesn’t hurt me. Just to come back to this particular player, obviously a legend, a big player of the game who inspired so many, I can say only positive things, but I feel that comment is just a bit of a lazy criticism.”

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On Tuesday night, Rooney and Van Dijk had an awkward exchange after Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Anfield against Real Madrid.

Now, Rooney has admitted that he was “unfair” to suggest that the centre-back has “downed tools” since signing a new contract and winning the Premier League last season.

“Maybe I was a bit unfair with that comment,” Rooney said on his BBC podcast.

“Maybe I was a bit unfair because I don’t know him that well as a person.”

However, Rooney later backed his previous stance on Van Dijk’s performances at the start of this campaign.

“From a performance point of view, I think I was speaking what I felt and what I was seeing and I felt I was right,” Rooney added.

“Van Dijk will judge himself by them [high standards]. When he reflects on his performances this season he’d be the first to say they haven’t been at the standard he’s set.”